


Photographs and Voicemails

by Oh_DAMNeron



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kerry Eurodyne centric fic, Kerry and Mama Welles bond over their love for V, M/M, Streetkid V, Terminal Illnesses, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28875468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_DAMNeron/pseuds/Oh_DAMNeron
Summary: Funerals made death feel real, Kerry understood that now. He had been hoping that this was all just a bad dream and that he would wake up to V in his arms, having snuck in late at night after a job, but it never happened. So here he was, standing awkwardly at the back of the unsurprisingly large crowd at the El Coyote Cojo - V's influence on Night City touched a lot of people.
Relationships: Kerry Eurodyne/Male V
Comments: 20
Kudos: 111





	Photographs and Voicemails

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been brewing in my head for a while now and I finally had the time to type it all out. 
> 
> Please forgive me, this is completely unedited because it's currently midnight.

Funerals made death feel real, Kerry understood that now. He had been hoping that this was all just a bad dream and that he would wake up to V in his arms, having snuck in late at night after a job, but it never happened. So here he was, standing awkwardly at the back of the unsurprisingly large crowd at the El Coyote Cojo - V's influence on Night City touched a lot of people. Kerry's heart swelled with pride at the thought of how far reaching V's impact is. Was, he reminded himself, was… 

Kerry looked up as Mrs Welles started speaking, soft guitar music played gently and the crowd started to tighten around the ofrenda. Kerry tried to avoid looking at the photo of V. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hold the tears at bay much longer if he saw his face again. 

"V was a son to me. He lived under my roof for six months before he found his own place and got back on his feet. He cared for my Jaquito when he needed someone. He was always there. The Welles family owes so much to V and now we will never have a way to repay him. However, we can honour him in the Welles family tradition." She gestures to the ofrenda. "Who would like to pay their respects first?" 

Kerry zoned out after that, watching as various people got up, said their piece, and placed an object on the ofrenda. He watches V's old ripperdoc, Viktor Vector, get up. Watches as Misty Olszewski, V's friend, says her piece. Watches as Rogue Amendiaries, the Queen of the Afterlife herself, places the replica of Johnny's Samurai jacket she had given V on the ofrenda.

When Mama Welles asks if anyone else wants to come and pay their respects, Kerry stays quiet. He doesn't want to do this sort of thing in front of a crowd, he'd rather pay his respects on his own. 

As the crowd starts to dissipate, moving to the bar or upstairs, Kerry makes his way towards the ofrenda. As much as he avoids it, his eyes land on the photo of V. He reaches out and his fingers gently brush against the glass of the photo frame. 

It's a nice photo, a happy one. V is smiling wide and the sun is shining on his face, a sparkle in his eye. It's a candid shot, probably taken by Jackie before he passed. Back when they were both still hopeful that they'd make it to the major leagues one day, with so much to gain and so little to lose. He looks joyful, just how Kerry wants to remember him. Not as the sickly, weak man he had become towards the end. He pushes the thought from his mind.

Kerry reaches into the deep pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a ring box. He opens it, taking in the shining ring one last time. It was a simple design, yet beautiful. A golden wedding band engraved with the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of where they shared their first kiss. Kerry sure as hell was the more sentimental one out of the two of them, but he knew that V would have loved it nonetheless. Kerry ran his fingers over the engravings before closing the box with a snap and setting it next to V's photo. 

"I love you, V…" Kerry clenched his jaw for a moment, his eyes coming to rest on the photo, "I wish I'd known how fast this illness was going to take you. I wouldn't have wasted so much time on stupid things. I wish I'd asked you earlier and I know it's stupid to say it now since… y'know… but it's the last chance I've got to say it and I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't. Will you marry me?" 

The silence that followed his question was deafening. He never imagined that this was what was going to follow that question and it broke his heart.

He didn't have it in him to say anything else, so he took a step backwards, hesitating for a moment, before he turned and walked away. 

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there. Had it been minutes or hours? The sound had died down and he noticed that the El Coyote was rather empty now. He'd managed to find a quiet booth rather out of the way of everything upstairs. Even though it mightn't be the best idea considering his track record with depression, he just wanted to be alone right now. He had his oversized hoodie pulled close and his hat low to cover his face. He swirled a glass of alcohol on the table in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure what was in it but he felt it slowly working its way into his veins.

With great difficulty, Kerry was managing to hold the emotional floodgates closed, keeping the tears at bay. He brought the glass to his lips and let the alcohol burn as he sipped slowly away at it. He wasn't going to last much longer, he could feel it. He could tell that the moment he started crying he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to stop. 

"Kerry?" 

His eyes shot up and he was greeted with the sad smile of Mama Welles. He hadn't spent a lot of time with the woman personally but he had heard stories about her from V. He held her in such high regards that Kerry could only do the same. It shocked him that she knew who he was but then he realised that if he had heard so much about her, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that V had told her a lot about him. After all, they had kept in contact a lot during V's last few months. 

"Hey, Mrs Welles…" Kerry dropped his gaze to the table, embarrassed to be caught in such a vulnerable state. 

"How're you holding up?" She spoke with such genuine concern for him that Kerry couldn't help but to let his guard down. He had nothing to hide here, his reputation didn't matter in a situation like this.

"Poorly." He muttered, raising the glass to his lips again. 

Mama Welles set her glass down on the tabletop and slid into the booth, right next to Kerry. He didn't expect her to put an arm around him and hold him close. 

"V really did truly love you. He spoke of you often…" she gently rubbed circles into Kerry's back.

Kerry felt his lip quiver and the all too familiar sting behind his eyes; the telltale sign of tears. Kerry rubbed the heel of his palms deep into his eyes to stave off the waterworks but it wasn't helping. 

"I loved him so much…" Kerry whimpered, "God, I don't know what I'm going to do without him." 

"You're going to continue on with your life like V would have wanted you to." Her tone was low and caring yet determined. 

"I don't know if I can." He couldn't see anymore, his vision was blurred with tears and the moment he blinked, he felt a hot tear wet his cheek. 

"You'll have to find a way. But for now, grieve. Let yourself feel what you need to feel instead of bottling it all up, you'll thank yourself for it later." 

Mama Welles held Kerry close as his emotional floodgates finally opened and he completely broke down. He turned to her and couldn't help but cry into her shoulder. She ran her hands soothingly up and down his back, cooing softly in his ear. 

"It's just so fucking unfair!" Kerry sobbed.

"I know, dear. I know. Life's hard…" she placed a hand on top of his head.

"I loved him… I loved him more than anything…" Kerry roughly rubbed his hands over his eyes, his voice cracking and wavering as he spoke. He breathed in deeply, letting out a shuddering exhale.

They stayed like that until his breathing began to even out. Tears still ran down his hot cheeks but he was able to gather himself together. He didn't want to sit up properly and face Mama Welles, but she made him face her all the same.

"Kerry, why don't you spend the night at mine." She gently brushed his hair off of his forehead and he felt loved once more. "It's late, and I'm sure it's a long drive home, I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you on the road."

"I- I'm fine. No thank you, I'll be okay, I promise…" He knew that she wasn't asking, but he felt like he'd be impeding on her private life. He barely knew the woman after all. 

"Look, even if it's just for a little while, I've got the bed. You've been drinking, it's not wise to drive." She tried to take the logical route hoping that Kerry would hear reason.

When Kerry didn't say anything, just avert his gaze awkwardly, she continued on.

"V was family, and you both loved each other dearly, that makes you family. The Welles take care of each other. Stay, please. I'm sure you don't want to be alone in that big house of yours right now." Kerry could tell that she was speaking from experience.

He contemplated this. He hadn't been home since he lost V. It just doesn't feel right. He'd been staying out all night or crashing at someone's house, trying to avoid the emptiness. 

"Okay… Um, thanks Mrs Welles." He smiled weakly at her. 

"Please, call me Mama Welles." She smiled back at him. 

Kerry stood at the door of Jackie Welles' room. It felt wrong to sleep in her dead son's childhood room, but Mama Welles insisted that it was alright. She bid him goodnight and told him to try to get as much sleep as he could provided the circumstances. He wished her a goodnight as well before she wandered off to her own room. He awkwardly moved into the middle of the room before slowly turning in place, taking in the decor. There was a bed to one side with a bedside table, a desk and against the opposite wall, and a large mirror hiding a wardrobe between them. Across from the mirror was a window that looked down on the street below. 

The walls of Jackie's room were plastered with posters and photos. Posters of bands and movies that he must have enjoyed and photos that he had taken of his family and friends. Kerry's eyes landed on one particular photo. A selfie Jackie had taken one day with Misty and V. They were laughing and squished together to fit in the framing. It was set on the bedside table and Kerry picked it up, brushing his fingers gingerly over V's face. He smiled, feeling tears burn in his eyes again. Kerry sat down on the bed, eyes trained on the photo. 

"God, V. I'd give anything to see you again…" he blinked the tears from his eyes. 

Kicking his shoes off gently, and pulled his hoodie off so he was in just his t-shirt and shorts. His head hit the pillow as he laid down, not bothering to unmake the bed and actually get comfortable.

He hesitated for a long moment, he knew that what he wanted to do would ruin him but it needed to, he needed to hear V's voice again. Kerry held the photo up as he dialled V's number, praying that it hadn't been disconnected yet. 

His heart thudded in his chest as it rang and rang, and rang. Until-

"You've reached V's phone. I'm busy right now, leave your business at the tone and I'll get back to you." 

Kerry hung up and pressed the photo of V to his chest as he closed his eyes, feeling tears roll down the side of his face. 

Saying that Kerry didn't sleep well would be an understatement. He slept horribly. Tossing and turning for hours, crying on and off, wishing he could reverse time. But he did sleep eventually. And when he awoke, it was to the smell of food cooking in the kitchen. He decided against staying in that bed and never moving again, he'd tried that before when it all got really bad and he didn't want to end up in that situation again. He wandered out of the room, following his nose despite not being particularly hungry.

He yawned as he stepped into the kitchen, spying Mama Welles by the stove cooking a simple bacon and eggs breakfast for the two of them. The sun streamed through the windows and caught on the steam and smoke rising from the pan. It painted the room in a soft pale orange glow that made the world seem warm. Mama Welles looked over her shoulder at him when she heard him approach.

"Ah, Kerry, good you're awake." She turned to face him, leaning against the counter and lowering the heat on the stove. "I hope you slept okay?" 

He gave her a weak smile, trying to ignore the tiredness that was obviously painted all over his face. "As well as I could, I guess. You?" His voice was hoarse and sore from crying, but he was grateful that she didn't bring attention to it.

"Ah, you know." She smiled and waved her hand dismissively at him, he did know. "Come, sit, I've made you some breakfast." She gestures to the table that was already set with knives and forks.

He sat down, feeling small and vulnerable.

She dished up the food and placed the plate in front of Kerry. "Eat it, don't eat it, I don't mind either way. But it's there for you if you want it." 

He smiled at her gratefully, picking up his fork and poking the egg. He really wasn't particularly hungry. 

"Dare I ask, how're you feeling this morning?" She muttered, cutting up her bacon into bite sized bits. 

Kerry exhaled deeply, raising his eyebrows and pouting slightly. That was a simple question with such a complex answer. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and was grateful that she didn't rush him.

"I miss him. And I don't think that sorta pain is ever going to truly go away. I miss him so fucking much and I love him more than I thought I could ever love someone. And now he's gone. And it hurts. But somehow, I feel like I'll be okay eventually… however long that'll take." He pierced a small bit of bacon and shoved it in his mouth, trying to focus on something else. Mama Welles just nodded at him, a sad, distant look on her face. 

"I have something for you." Kerry looked over to her as she reached into her pocket. What she handed him made him well up with tears. "I saw what you put on the ofrenda. I wanted you to keep it with you." 

It was the proposal ring hung on a chain necklace. Kerry stared at it for a long time before bringing it to his lips and closing his eyes. He felt his shoulders start to shake as he fought off tears. 

"Thank you, Mama Welles." He ran his thumb over the engravings once more. "I was going to do it, y'know… Propose." Mama Welles met his gaze as he looked at her. "I had it all organised. I was going to take him back to where we shared our first kiss. Our own little place on top of Night City. I was going to get down on one knee and ask him to be mine for the rest of our lives…" he began to stare out the window. "But he got sicker and sicker. He wouldn't tell me what was going on, but I knew. Deep down I knew we were running out of time. We stopped going places, ended up just staying at home most days… I never- I don't know why I didn't propose sooner. I knew he would be gone soon, I don't know. It felt silly to say you wanted to spend the rest of your life with someone when you knew that they would be gone in a few weeks, leaving you alone…" he trailed off. 

He felt a thumb wipe a tear from his cheek that he didn't even know he had shed. 

"I can't even begin to imagine how that feels. But please know that you've got a family here. If you need anything, and I mean anything, I'm just a call away. Even if it's just to talk." She took the necklace from him and stood, moving behind him to clasp it together behind his neck. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his hair. 

Kerry threaded a finger through the ring. He was feeling so many emotions - grief, love, regret - but at least he knew that he wasn't alone in all of this. He had a family. Maybe one day everything would stop hurting this bad, but until then, he had support of those who loved V.

"Thank you, Mama Welles…"

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Comments are always appreciated!
> 
> If you want a supportive space to chat about Cyberpunk 2077 please feel free to join my discord server 'The Cyberpunks':  
> https://discord.gg/X7bEWkvnjF


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